Crazy to Crazy
by chp
Summary: The saga continues with some RHr lots of LH and sprinklings of CharlieTonks as the year continues.
1. Default Chapter

**_Crazy to Crazy_**

_I don't own anything. But don't we all just love driving Harry nuts._

Harry sighed, and resigned himself to contemplating the fact that he was insane.

Wait, strike that – she was insane. Was he insane because he loved her or did he love her because she was insane?

And since when was he in love with her?

He sighed again, that was becoming a habit. He stared at her out of the window of t6he room he shared with the rest of the Gryffindor sixth year boys, who could never ever find out if he ever wanted any peace, as she talked to Ginny.

He contemplated her carefully, Long ash blonde hair, slightly protruding eyes and a big smile. She wasn't particularly beautiful, more quite pretty. Compared to the vibrant redhead she was talking to she faded into the background for most people.

So why was it that he could never take his eyes off her? Why did he resign himself to being unable to tear himself away from some crazy conversation when she floated into a room? Why was he disappointed when he wasn't?

He had laughed at Ron, some months ago, for having leapt into dangerous situations many a time with Harry against the most feared of the dark wizards, and yet could not bring himself to admit his feelings to their bushy-haired best friend. Now he, who had usually been leading Ron into those situations, couldn't even admit his feelings to anyone, let alone her.

He scowled at Ron who, arm firmly wrapped around Hermione's waist, had joined the chatting pair below. This was all Ron's fault. It was his little sister who had soon become best friends with her which had meant that she had visited the Burrow. It was Ron who had invited harry to the Burrow and then wandered off with his girlfriend leaving Harry to talk to the younger pair and quickly become infatuated with her and then had sent him the note. Harry decided he was glad there was no one around to argue with this logic since blaming someone else always made him feel better.

(He had learnt this trick from Ron – _"It's all your fault harry. You suggested we rescue her from the troll, so we became friends. Then you put us into life or death situations so I looked responsible and got made a prefect, so I spent loads of time with her and was forced to realise I had feelings for her. I liked blissful ignorance")_

Then she did the cruellest thing anyone had ever done. She glanced up at the window and smiled. Harry felt himself melt inside and glanced again at the note which had caused this particular bout of self-pity.

_'There's a Hogsmeade weekend on the 18th, You don't mind me and Hermione going off do you. Why not ask whoever you've been moping over._

_Ron._

Harry scowled, now Ron was getting all perceptive and he'd have to ask her.

How hard could it be, just one crazy person asking another crazy person a simple question.

Sometimes Harry hated Ron.


	2. Working up the courage

Chapter 2 

**AN **Sorry about not updating but I went on holiday

Harry walked slowly out of Gryffindor Tower trying to think of a way in which to drag Luna away from the others without everyone catching on. In his mind he could see it all clearly, as he strolled outside and calmly informed her she would be going out with him so suavely James Bond appeared and took notes.

He wandered out into the courtyard and realizing everyone had gone, half felt relieved but he also felt a tugging disappointment at not having seen her.

"Hullo Harry" Luna almost sang. Until he had met her, Harry had not realized that the phrase 'away with the fairies' could be physically embodied. He also loved the fact that he could go off on mental tangents around her without her noticing that he wasn't paying attention.

"Hi Luna" he sang back so cheerily he cringed, mentally thanking anyone who was listening that Ron wasn't present, "Has, um, everyone gone".

"Yes" she replied, eyes still misty as if she lived in an enchanted forest. "I saw a crimple hooded knochund and decided to stay and observe it" Harry smiled as he remembered that in many ways she did.

To be honest that was one of the things that had first made him notice her. While he had Ron around as someone brave and loyal he could count on, and Hermione's intelligence to appeal to his reason, Ginny had that sheer stubborn quality of practicality which was almost tangible, not to add Neville's gentle friendship, they all seemed worried. He couldn't blame them, he knew that it was almost impossible to avoid for anyone who had become a part of that group, it was even beginning to pervade the rest of the school now. It made everything seem hectic. Then Luna was there. Luna with her clothes that would have seemed out of place, but on her seemed somehow to make sense. Luna who saw creatures, and emotions in others, no one else did.Luna who was saying something he should be listening to.

"..so I was wondering, since Hermione said her and Ron were doing something, and Neville's off with Susan and Ginny's with that guy she's seeing, if you'd like to help me look?"

She looked at Harry and he froze, pinned down by the eyes that were a quality of his every fantasy, while he desperately searched his mind for an answer that would show that he was delighted to spend time with her, but wasn't a stalker, that wouldn't show that he had no idea what she meant and yet sounded smooth.

Luna took on a doubtful expression "Outside Weasley's at lunchtime? It's OK if you have plans but if you'd like to..."

"Sure" Harry choked out


	3. The gang is back

**AN **Sorry for not updating sooner

Ron watched as his best-friend wandered into the Great Hall looking so dazed that he almost believed Harry had run into Crabbe and Goyle again, until a stupid grin crept its way onto his face. As Harry made his way over to them Ron was distracted as Hermione moved slightly closer to him under his arm. He looked down at her as she glanced up, their eye's locked and the world faded out. The eye focuses on what is brightest and at that moment Hermione was glowing with contentment.

Ginny sat next to Hermione, barely listening as Colin waxed lyrical at the new to of the range camera he had seen in an advert in _The Daily Prophet, _her own gaze was focused at someone strolling along the opposite wall. Ginevra Weasley was a smart girl and had learnt the vital skills of listening, watching and learning, simply by living in a house where noise and movement could make your head explode if you didn't learn a way to deal with it. Although she remembered generally the advice her elders had given her to ignore him, for safeties sake, she was still a teenager, and she had seen Tonk's knowing grin as she had blithely agreed.

"GRYFFINDORS" bellowed Seamus from the end of the table suddenly, shocking the group at the end of the table out of their self-imposed mutual silence. As every head turned towards him he grinned, winked at a group of fifth-year girls, "and those select others who are our friends", pointedly not turning his head far enough to see the Slytherin's sneers but raising his voice again "WE HAVE A GIFT".

With that, Dean and two of the fourth year boys loaded several huge bags of Honeydukes sweets onto the table. As everyone leapt forward Seamus coughed, "would you not like to hear the message". Every face again concentrated on his as the Irish brogue lilted out. By now nearly every Gryffindor had crowded into the hall and the new Quidditch commentator blossomed under the attention. "Messrs. Fred and George Weaseley send their congratulations to a victorious Gryffindor Quidditch team", Harry ducked his head, Ron smiled and Ginny looked unconcerned as people banged them on the back, "AND FANS" The Great Hall exploded but Seamus hushed them all "and hope to see you this weekend". Hermione rolled her eyes at the twins publicizing, while Seamus picked up one of the butterbeers which had rolled out of a bag and lifted it "TO GRYFFINDOR".

As the so called 'Golden Trio' ate, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Neville came and joined them and when Ginny returned, from wherever she had been, Luna in tow their voices lowered.

"I got a letter from Mum", Ron said, "to make sure that we're all O.K to go back to visit them for Christmas".

Neville nodded firmly and Luna also nodded her consent. Harry had been at first surprised by how well Neville had taken the news that he was now known and wanted by the Deatheaters but then had thought back to Neville's actions over five years and accepted it. He had not been sure what to make of Luna's seeming ignorance of the issue but had stored it up as something to consider later, a trick he had learnt from Ginny.

The talk inevitably lead to the Order and what they had managed to pick up from snatches of conversations people had overheard from teachers. Neville being the one who quickly changed the topic whenever anyone came within earshot. As the bell rang and the four six years moved towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione briefly murmuring something to Ginny before the younger girl moved off to Charms, Luna drifting behind.

Hermione and Ron finally pried themselves away from each other to sit down. Harry had felt his good mood descend fast and sharp, enough to be worried about the weekend, and so to be irritated about Ron and Hermione being happy in such a, he privately thought, deranged fashion. He sat down next to Neville who was glancing a little too casually at Lavender in front of him, layering on her make-up with powder falling on her open school book, gaining her a look which could only have come from Hermione.

They all settled down, having nothing to do at the start of the lesson, to guessing what their substitute teacher would look like this week. They had been assured that a teacher had been found, but would was not due to arrive for a further two weeks.

"Okay, bright red hair, very tall and thin", said Hermione, "with a......Scottish accent"

"No", Ron said, "I reckon", the two continued to bicker on. Harry had been glad, that while he had needed to get accustomed to his two best friends being a couple, not that it was wholly unexpected, the two had not stopped bickering. He felt that had they stopped arguing altogether, although it had become gentler and more good-natured, a major part of his life would have collapsed.

As the class heard a loud clear crash of something being knocked down in the hallway, the conversations immediately dropped down to the normal classroom level. The woman who stumbled into the classroom was of about average height with black hair and was extremely attractive, causing Harry's heart a brief pang as he considered another person with those features.

"Wands out", the teacher commanded, "I am Miss Noir", a Scottish accent heavy in her tones causing Hermione to send Ron a vaguely triumphant look which he returned with a roll of his eyes at which the teacher gave them a knowing look.

The lesson progressed, seeming even better than it might have thanks to the comparison with Umbridge, still lying in the hospital wing, and the 'lessons' she had subjected them to the previous year.

As the lesson ended Hermione, Ron and Harry lingered behind, Ron purposefully dropping a load of papers which they all gathered up. Rising together, to face Miss Noir.


	4. Catching up

**Chapter Four**

**AN: **I am a terrible updater and can only blame illness and school for refusing to let me be, as well as praising to the heavens my wonderful reviewers. This is only my 2nd fanfic and I appreciate hearing what you think.

As Hermione and Harry stood close to releasing their flood of questions, Ron, who had and advantage over them with his ability to speak without necessarily engaging his brain stepped in first. "Hermione told you to be Scottish didn't she", he said.

Tonks simply laughed and said "Well I never thought I'd be forced back to school again", she pointed out before adding ruefully "at some points I actually believed I'd be barred from the grounds, so I have to keep myself entertained somehow"

Hermione had been standing poised throughout this entire exchange, not even attempting to disguise her impatience at this interlude and almost shouted now, to prevent the two going off on a tangent "What can you tell us Tonks, what's going on, we heard about the two battles _this week_ and we want to know if everyone's all right and ... ", Tonks sighed.

"I assume you've heard about the three Aurors", at the business-like nods Tonks continued "Well Dung was injured quite badly and Dedalus' brother was killed compared to three Deatheater casualties and one injured". A moment of silence reigned over the classroom for a moment before Tonks continued hesitantly, "I've also been asked to warn you that Hagrid's off tonight for Durham as we've got reports of an imminent ambush from our sources. Just to let you know not to worry and .....", Tonks swallowed awkwardly as Harry glanced away to avoid the memories conjured up by the appearance of the Metamorphmagus".

Ron quickly leapt in to diffuse the situation, "So who will be covering Hagrid's lessons he asked", although it was a pointless question since Professor Grubbly-Plank must have been on permanent stand-by Harry was grateful and saw Hermione squeeze her boyfriends arm.

Tonks coughed, "Well actually", she said a faint flush rising to those currently marble cheeks as she stumbled over her words, in much the same way as she stumbled over everything else, "Charlie's going to cover the lessons". At this, Hermione's eyes had snapped to Tonk's and her eyebrows had raised, as Tonk's face grew redder and redder. Harry dismissed it out of hand since he was having more than enough trouble trying to understand the actions of one crazy girl, without trying to grasp the rest of them, he had learnt his lesson the previous year, if you want to understand a girl, ask another girl. He often saw Ron grabbing Ginny's arm in the common room when something was up with Hermione as the safest thing for everyone.

After a little further conversation the three left, Harry with a sense of doom moving off to Potions, Hermione to her Transfiguration class and Ron to Charms. As Harry briefly turned back to say Goodbye he saw Tonks viewing her reflection in a mirror before apparating.

When he had returned to Grimmauld Place after his few weeks with the Dursley's spent watching the news, his Aunt Petunia and the Daily Prophet and contemplating his Godfather's death he had been brought down to Earth. He was not the only one who suffered. Firstly there had been Tonks, who had arrived at his house without destroying a thing, her grief briefly lending her a dignity while the scars from her encounters with her Aunt healed. Then arriving at the house which Harry despised and yet felt a desperate connection to for his Godfather's sake Harry again saw Remus. Harry had been angry with the Werewolf for holding him back at the Department but could hardly bear to speak to him now. He had his suspicions at what the two men he knew so little about and yet knew so well had been though he couldn't speak of it. Not to the man who bore an air of melancholy, seeming to belong more to the past than to the here and now.


	5. Hermione Thinks

**Chapter 5**

**AN: **Thank you to my wonderful reviewers- it's very helpful and encourages me to continue.

Hermione hurried along one of the school's lengthy corridors to the great hall, barely noticing the students dodging out of her way. Her mind as usual was working on several different levels at once. Hermione knew how much was expected out of her, how much she expected from herself and sometimes felt the pressure would crush her.

Firstly there was the schoolwork. Hermione was not stupid, this in itself would be labelled as understatement by the general population. She knew that she was in the middle of a war and bigger things were happening. She sometimes looked back at her priorities and laughed, Ron certainly did. Contrary to popular belief Hermione was not an anal-retentive robot, it was hard to be defined by exam results. And yet...

To a certain extent she was safe when defined by those results. They were consistently good due to a combination of hard work (as she often pointed out sanctimoniously to her best friends) and also (as she could admit when her modest outer shell was down) a large degree of talent. The problem with being as analytical as Hermione was is that in those moments of loneliness that everyone experienced, the only thing available to analyse is yourself, and the results of this are rarely cheerful in such moments. Hermione recognised that it was a fear of people disliking her for the flaws in her character that meant she pushed this to the front.

This was why she loved the people around her. Neville never failed to care about people despite the fact that he needed caring for more than anyone. Luna had puzzled and exasperated Hermione at first, although this may have been something to do with an apparent crush on Ron, but Luna never failed to see the magic in a situation where Hermione was forced to dissect it. Ginny was more like Hermione, practical and forceful, but with a mischievous side, a little darker than the twins. Harry was a hero. Harry may have felt he was thrust into this role by the circumstances of his birth, Hermione had spent more time in the past five years with him than with her family and knew that it was more than that. It was his character, and as if Harry thought every time someone was kept alive because of him, he was saving his parents.

Then there was Ron. Ron was illogical and tremendously loyal. He was more perceptive than people realised because he was also too bloody impulsive (Hermione knew she was spending far too much time with him). He was aggravating and funny and oblivious and he was always doing an annoying grin and _forcing _her to agree with him. Not Fair.

So while levels of her brain worried about schoolwork and analysed and worried about herself her friends and boyfriend there was an over-riding concern. Hermione was embroiled in a war based on principles thousands of years old in a world she had known about for something over five years. She was scared stiff. The entire world lived in fear that anyone could be the next victim, and Hermione knew and loved nearly all of the prime targets. It was like...

Hermione stepped into the Great Hall and let her eyes rest on the small group who could never be quite apart from the war. They were laughing. It was what Hermione had always felt to be her worst failing. She could never let her self go and just live in the present. Years of knowing Ron, a master in the art, had helped, and when he kissed her this power magically transferred and the world did stop, but only for a moment (even if some of them were rather long moments).

Hermione slipped in next to her friends acknowledging their welcomes and plastering on a smile. Ron gave her a look as if he knew she was faking and immediately involved her in the conversation. Hermione focused on the happy faces before her and let the war slide away for a few more glorious moments. What else could she do?


	6. Hogsmeade

**Chapter 6**

_AN: _Yes I am finally updating

It was time.

Harry was ready.

He was prepared.

He was panicking.

He had talked to Ron, his understanding, wonderful best friend who after having laughed for 10 minutes or so had actually told him something quite helpful – this was a time when elder brothers could be helpful. This was that no matter how all important this seemed, no matter how much he convinced himself that the world would come crashing to a halt with trumpets and horsemen and rains of blood, Luna would seem completely normal. Or calm, Ron had amended after thinking for a moment.

So Harry was now strolling along the street to the Weasely's shop in what he felt was a manly, controlled way ready to look for… Oh no. Harry realised he hadn't a clue what he was looking for. He had screwed up. He should turn around and go back to the castle. But then Luna would think he had stood her up. Maybe he should tell her he was sick. A sickness that had no visible symptoms yet prevented him from going out. Except he was currently outside. And there was Luna. She looked pretty. And she had seen him, so there would be no problem because he was blushing so hotly that he would spontaneously combust and solve his problem. Visions of Luna throwing herself weeping on his coffin leapt unbidden into his mind.

It occurred to Harry that if Voldemort was reading his mind right now he would probably decide he had nothing to worry about.

"Hi Harry", Harry let out a distinctly girlish squeak. "Are you ready to go look for the Low Bellied Brampfwurzel, only we should leave quickly as we may have to walk quite a way out as they don't like crowds and we need to be back fairly soon if we want to get any Christmas shopping done." Harry helplessly followed the blonde girl, his eyes transfixed on her face.

"Should we be watching Harry and Luna's date", said Neville doubtfully, "I mean isn't it sort of private."

"Don't be ridiculous", Ron said airily, "We're his friends, it's our duty to keep an eye on him, make sure everything's going OK…"

"Make fun of him when it doesn't", his girlfriends disapproving voice said from where she and Ginny were window shopping at Madame Malkin's.

"Oh come on" Ron laughed, "he was so nervous I had Madame Pomfrey ready with a stretcher in case he fainted, and he went so red it looked like Pansy had coated him in her lipstick"

"Yes" his sister added, "Because you were the definition of cool on you and Hermione's first date". Even Hermione couldn't stifle a snigger at that memory, even as she watched her hapless best friend get led away entranced by the puzzling girl, before turning to her boyfriend "Anyway, lets go, we'll meet you all later".

"Doesn't this seem callous to you", Neville said, "With everything that's happening that we're just sat here talking about Harry's love life – I mean I know Harry deserves – needs – some relaxation, but aren't there more important things going on"

"We can't just spend all our time waiting in fear, sometimes we need to just be happy". Ginny glanced at her brother who had wrapped an arm around Hermione and suddenly had it brought home to her how much her brother had been through, even as he walked off with his girlfriend.

"Harry", a familiar voice called, as he entered the bustling joke shop, Harry turned to see Angelina Johnson behind the counter. As he struggled his way through the many crowds, delighted to see the old Quidditch Captain. As he reached her, Luna floating behind him, Fred made his way over and hailed him loudly, as the popular Weasely twin seemed to be fighting off congratulations from half the school and its teachers about the large diamond on Angelina's hand. "Business booming is it Fred", Harry grinned.

"Oh yes", boomed the red head "George and Lee are frantic at Diagon Alley, help yourself to anything Harry".

"Thanks", Harry grinned "have you seen Ron"

"He said he'd see you at the Three Broomsticks", Angelina called, surrounded by squealing seventh years. Harry flashed a grin at Fred and turned to find Luna and...

"RUN"


End file.
